Tranquil
by koreantrash101
Summary: Inuyasha is a human priest who has grown up in a shrine learning how to purify evil and demonic entities like the ones who killed his parents. Although the elders have taught him that inner peace is key in summoning his spiritual energy, he has never been able to achieve this crucial step in his training. It's a long journey to tranquility, but he's stubborn enough to take it.
1. Chapter 1

**First Inuyasha fanfic of mine to be posted! I look forward to any and all comments/critiques! I hope you all enjoy!**

 **Much Love!**

 **K. T.**

* * *

 **Chapter One: Constant**

He threw his bow to the ground in frustration as he was unable - yet again - to successfully connect with his spiritual energy. He forced out the air from his lungs heavily as he ran a hand through his long black mane. Why was this so damn difficult? He had been training for this since he was born ... well, not exactly, but since he could remember. He knew everything there was to know about posture and form; how to control the bow and hit any bullseye put in front of him, but he was always held back because of one small detail: his damn purification energy wouldn't resonate. Inuyasha sat down in the grass, utterly defeated and tired. What was wrong with him? He looked up at the setting sun, attempting to settle the agitation bubbling in the depths of his chest to no avail. He had always been told that this was his downfall, that he couldn't keep his emotions in check. How did one do that? Were emotions something that one could tame?

"Inuyasha." He turned to the voice, an eyebrow risen in acknowledgment. He was met with his superior and friend, Myoga. He had grown fond of the old priest, though he would never admit to it. He had become sort of a father figure to him over the years. He respected and looked up to him.

Inuyasha stood and bowed his head. "Yes, Sir."

"Raise your head, boy. There's no need for formalities."

Inuyasha did what he was told, though reluctantly, standing to his full height and towering over the older man. There were rules within the temple, one of them being that you were to remain lower to the high priests as a physical form of respect to their invisible social status. Inuyasha thought it was stupid, but he knew the repercussions for disobeying such rules from experience.

"What is it that you're doing out here, son? Training ended hours ago." Myoga waited for an answer as Inuyasha looked down with a disgruntled look cast over his features. It was obvious the reason he had stayed back and continued his training late into the evening. Inuyasha didn't want to let known the disappointment in himself, the annoyance at his own incapabilities.

"I just needed the practice," he stated, feigning his well-practiced serenity as he directed his gaze back to that of the old man. He felt the tension in his shoulders crawl down into his chest to spur an anxious tremour to rattle his already unstable nerves.

"Inuyasha, I understand your vexation, but I believe that one day you'll be one of the most renowned priests of your time. You just need to be patient."

That was yet another quality he was lacking, patience. The old monk had seen right through him - _again_ \- much to his dismay. Inuyasha bit his inner bottom lip as to keep himself from rudely making a sarcastic remark that could very possibly get him into trouble, though he knew Myoga wasn't nearly as strict as many of the other elders of the shrine. Myoga smiled knowingly as he watched the young man in front of him refrain from rebuffing his statement, something only he could take notice of. Myoga was able to see it in Inuyasha's eyes, as well as he hid it, and he yearned to comfort the chaos within the young man before him.

"I truly believe this," he stated simply as he turned and began walking back toward the temple. "Dinner will be served in about an hour. I recommend you go and wash up with what little time you have left."

Inuyasha merely nodded, watching as he left him to stand there alone in the field. He sighed and turned to the horizon once more. He felt as though he was so complicated to the point that even he himself didn't know how to decipher anything that was going through him; his constant discomfort and upset. It never made sense. What did he have to make him this way? He had everything he needed, the only thing he longed for was the inner peace required to complete his training. His jaw tensed then as he swiftly turned from the orange and gold of the sky to grab his bow and arrows from the ground and begin making his way to wash up near the shrine. He had already skipped out on the majority of his duties for that afternoon, it would be bad if he were late for dinner as well.

He hurried to his room for a pair of clean clothes, halting as his roommate lay reading on his own bed. He grimaced slightly before continuing into the room. He didn't care too much for the guy, it wasn't as if he got in his stuff or was an asshole or anything, but Hachi was … odd. He was a tall, fairly skinny guy, strange dark greyish hair cut short with a rather weird braid left in the back that reached down past his shoulder blades. He _would_ be considered attractive if he didn't have those dark circles under his eyes 24/7. It was like the guy never got any sleep, which Inuyasha knew to be false because he snored like a freight train. The most alarming trait, however, was his unvalidated devotion to a certain skilled monk that had grown up in a neighboring village before deciding to travel about to 'help those in need'. He snorted at the mere thought, more like helping himself to those in need. Inuyasha had never met the man, but he had heard many rumours of his wandering hands when it came to maidens. Word had it that the real reason he left his temple was because he had been quietly disowned in repercussion to too many complaints of his less than pure requests when it came to the lords' youthful daughters. Inuyasha could honestly say that he didn't understand it, why such a talented person would ruin his own reputation, and for what? To get slapped across the face by handfuls of young women and be thrown out of villages by their fathers? He shook his head, as highly renowned as the young monk was, he just didn't sound very smart.

Inuyasha swiftly snagged a simple, but comfortable, outfit of clean white and blue before grabbing his small towel and some soaps.

"Hey, roomie. Where have you been?" Inuyasha spared the man a look only to turn towards the door, set in ignoring him. He wasn't in the mood to play nice. "Shippo was looking for you." He halted mid stride, glancing over his shoulder to stare at Hachi, silently telling him to continue. When he didn't and only returned his gaze awkwardly, Inuyasha rose an eyebrow in irritation and sighed before turning fully to face his roommate.

"Yeah? And why's that?" he muttered. Hachi smiled lightheartedly, seemingly content at acquiring his undivided attention. _Odd._

"He said he might be able to get you on a mission." Inuyasha's eyes widened a fraction before they glared at Hachi slightly.

"This some kind of sick joke? You think this is funny?" Hachi's smile dropped immediately, shaking his head in the negative.

"No! Of course not! It's the truth!"

"Feh." Inuyasha went to leave the room, he didn't have much time to bathe now. He would talk to Shippo about this 'mission' after dinner.

"Inuyasha! I'm being serious!" He rolled his eyes as he padded quietly though quickly down the wooden hall, Hachi following in pursuit. He quickened his pace in hopes that the man wouldn't catch up to him. Hachi was pretty tall, but Inuyasha was taller, so tall in fact that he sometimes had to duck under doorways to enter certain rooms. It was annoying as hell. Most monks were dwarfs, apparently.

"Inuyasha! Wait!" Inuyasha sighed before stopping abruptly and turning around, Hachi almost crashing into him as he glowered marginally down at the man.

"Can you quit following me, please?" There was an underlying threat within his seemingly polite request as he gritted his teeth tightly. Hachi backed up fervently, his hands lifting in surrender.

"I-I'm sorry, but I didn't mean it that way, I was completely serious! Shippo said that-"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it already. I need to hurry and get ready for dinner. We can talk about this later." And with that, Inuyasha went back on route to the washroom, which was quite a trek from the main house. Inuyasha didn't even spare a glance as he walked away from his well meaning roommate, already irritated from the events earlier on in the day. Fucking Bankotsu had stopped by the practice field _just_ to make fun of him, which was very much not needed, the asshole.

He strode along the dirt path, the sky close to becoming a dark blue as the sun was now out of view, stars beginning to appear here and there. His jaw was still tight as he tried to clear his mind of anything that was getting to him. Why was it so difficult for him? Why was he even mad? He didn't even know, only angering him further. He decided to run to the bath house in hopes that it would aid in releasing his pent up frustrations. He made it there faster than he had anticipated, not helping the tension within his entire being to dissipate at all. He took a few slow deep breaths as he undressed and went to the cold water baths. He made haste in his movements as he scrubbed his body with a wet rag, lathering it with a soup to rid himself of the sweat and dirt he had gathered throughout the day. He was the only one in the baths at the moments - not many would risk cutting it so close to dinner time - but he actually much preferred this, the solitude. He was done in a flash, finishing up with a bucket of frigid water over his head to wash away any excess suds before trotting over to the hot springs. He sat down in the steaming water, letting his tense muscles relax. He leaned back against the rock, head resting on the edge. This was the most peaceful he had felt all day and yet … he could never fully be at ease. He opened his eyes and stared up at the wooden ceiling before getting out and drying off.

The walk back was slow as he took his time to gaze upon the hordes of stars that had emerged. Biting his inner cheek, he came to a halt to just stand, stare out into the field of tall grass as the breeze came across to play and swirl the green in a beautiful symphony. His damp hair was swept from his shoulders as a gust came his way, coaxing him into closing his eyes and let it whistle past his ears. Even in this moment, there was this bubble in his chest, festering and tantalizing him. He let out a slow, sad breath before pushing forward back toward the temple.

He made it back with just enough time to drop his things off in his room and make it to the banquet hall. Many of the other young monks in training had already made it to their seats, earning him a few questioning glances from the priest superiors. He bowed respectfully before swiftly taking his seat and braiding his hair as it should be. They all sat in quiet after the head priest entered the room, everyone standing and lowering their heads to him until he sat. A sort of meditation time always came before the dinner was served. They repeated a few mantras after the head priest and soon, boring beans and rice with platters of simple fruit were placed in front of everyone by the male servants bustling about.

"Hey, Yash!" he heard a whisper and turned only slightly to see Shippo waving his way.

"After dinner." Inuyasha remained seated as he was supposed to, looking straight ahead as he ate his food (?). They weren't exactly _allowed_ to speak during meal time and he was not about to get in trouble for chit chat.

"My room or _yours_?" He had to resist the urge to roll his eyes as a smirk quivered to remain hidden, the stupid red-headed idiot. Inuyasha managed a brief sideways glare in warning as a few chuckles from the men sitting between them almost had his cheeks flare in embarrassment, _almost_. Inuyasha was known for being quite stoic and serious, especially when being watched by the elders.

After that, they finished their meals in silence until dismissed, Inuyasha putting up a delicate hand to silence his friend until they could make it to a 'secure' location, away from eavesdroppers. They exchanged a brief look before ducking outside and running into the small wooded area next to the temple.

"So?" Inuyasha sighed, regaining the air taken from him from the swift sprint. "what's this I hear about a mission?" He was trying not to get his hopes up as Shippo caught his breath, leaning forward with his hands on his knees. Inuyasha knew better, or at least he should have; only priests who were able to at least use their reiki were allowed to travel for missions. Inuyasha had never been past the nearby town.

"Okay, okay, chill. There's a mission coming up that is in need of some 'servers', or so says Priest Totosai, someone skilled in fighting and can help guard a jewel that the group is to transfer to a whole other kingdom. I've been asked to go and I'm pretty sure I can get you in on it." Inuyasha scrunched his face slightly in annoyance, he should've known.

"I am _not_ going to be a handmaid or whatever," he huffed, preparing to turn and walk back to his room.

"Oh, come _on_ , man! Hear me out! You'll be more of a guard than a _handmaid,_ " Shippo air quoted, jumping down as far as he could in a bad attempt at impersonating Inuyasha. "With an attitude like that, you'll never leave the temple again!"

Inuyasha stared at one of the surrounding trees in contemplation. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Shippou was right. This could be his only chance to travel on an actual mission. He would be stupid to pass this opportunity up.

"Okay…"

"Okay, what?"

"Okay, I'll go."

* * *

 **There it is! Let me know your thoughts! I welcome any and all _respectful_ critiques. If you find any errors, please just let me know!**

 **If anyone likes Soul Eater as well, I have three other fanfic stories up and ongoing at the moment!**

 **Much Love!**

 **K.T.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello! Sorry that it's been so long! :( Got caught up with life and writing some of my other stories. Found some inspiration for this story, though, so I'm trying to squeeze out everything that comes to mind before it disappears lol anyway**

 **Here's chapter two! Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter Two: Chances Are …**

"You suck."

"Well, I said that I'm 'pretty sure,' not positive!"

"That's not the point. You should've tried to get me in _before_ telling me about it. Way to get my hopes up."

After Inuyasha had given into the idea, Shippo had carefully restated that it wasn't a sure thing yet and that they would both have to go to confirm with Totosai that he could, in fact, go on the mission.

"I'm already gonna be in trouble for telling you before asking. It's top secret, so no blabbing."

"You should take your own advice."

"Shut up."

"Idiot."

"Ungrateful asshole…"

* * *

A chilling _whoosh_ spoke through the air as Inuyasha released his arrow, being followed by a remarkable _thunk_ as it hit its mark dead center. It was the perfect shot, one made with pristine precision, but Inuyasha saw flaw in his aim and hid his grimace. Unbeknownst to him, he had set the bar far too high for the others to reach, leaving them all to worry quietly as he walked swiftly back to his place in line. Before he could make it, however, Priest Totosai reached out and squeezed his shoulder, silently telling him to stay after they were all dismissed. It was an odd thing, having such a skilled monk looking over this class. He normally worked with the groups who could use their reiki with ease, but today, he had taken over for Priest Ojiichan halfway through, and now having to stay back had Inuyasha's nerves flaring even more.

"And with that, practice has come to an end. All of you have no more than forty minutes before you are to begin your chores. Dinner will be served at the regular time. Get a move on." All of the young men bowed before taking their leave, murmurs of Inuyasha's amazing capabilities filling the forgotten quiet of the field. After everyone had gone, Inuyasha stepped forward and bowed respectfully to the priest.

"You wanted to speak to me …"

"Yes. Shippo tells me that you're skilled in combat and has recommended you for a highly important summons. I see that you are indeed quite skilled, but you would need to be tested before your presence on this quest is confirmed."

 _Quest?_ … _Summons?_ This was sounding more and more like a mission of great gravity, but then again, he had never really been involved in a _real_ assignment before, so perhaps this was just how all of them were referred to. Inuyasha merely nodded, not quite understanding the whole of what that could all mean.

"Your test will be the day after tomorrow. Go finish your chores for the evening and take all of tomorrow off to relax. You'll need it." With that, Totosai patted Inuyasha's shoulder and took his leave. It was all very odd to Inuyasha, he had never been told to take the day off, that was just absurd to him. Through all of the weirdness, though, Inuyasha was extremely excited. Not only was he going to be tested for an important mission, but he got to take the whole day off tomorrow. A sort of dopey smirk poked at his lips as he sighed and turned to walk back to the main house to finish his chores for the day. This was the first time in a long time that he wasn't completely overtaken with unwarranted irritation, and … it was nice.

* * *

Screw everything. Bankotsu is an asshole and he ruins _lives,_ dammit. Well-meaning people don't deserve this shit. Just when Inuyasha had finished his last task of the day, he turned to find that the fucking punk had gone and undone all of his other accomplishments. He wouldn't have time to redo them all _and_ go to wash up before dinner. Maybe he could get half of them done?

"You're such a child, you know that?" Shippo crossed his arms as he glared over at Bankotsu.

"Aw, come on, now. I didn't _mean_ to do it. It just …" he shrugged, in that overly obnoxious way that he did. "Happened." He was trying to get a rise out of Inuyasha, but he wouldn't give him the satisfaction; this buttwipe didn't deserve any such comfort, Inuyasha would absolutely pay him no mind.

"Don't lie, we saw you-"

"It's fine. I can finish it before bed anyway."

"Yeah, but he should at least help, he's the one who ruined every single one of your chores."

"I'll do it myself," Inuyasha said no more as he merely continued with his work diligently, leaving the small group in favour of finishing as quickly as possible. He devised as he walked swiftly through the yard. He would do as many of the chores requiring heavy labour before running to the baths, setting aside the easier tasks for after dinner. Hopefully, Bankotsu wouldn't be immature enough to do it again on the very same day.

He successfully made his rounds once again, finishing everything that called for physical strain with just enough time to go wash before the food was served. This would be the second night this week he had walked into the dining hall, hair wet and unbraided, huffing slightly as he had hurried back without time to put his belongings in his room. He sat and did his hair just before the high priest entered, having to stand and bow along with everyone else. Dinner was as usual, he got a few odd looks, though Shippo all out glared at Bank throughout the duration of the meal. The head pries finally rose from his seat, signaling the end of dinner. Everyone stood and bowed until he had left the room. Inuyasha quickly finished what food was left on his plate before grabbing his dirty clothes and heading back to his room. He still had about seven chores that he needed to finish before lights out, only giving him about an hour and a half, as they had meditation for an hour before bed. Needless to say, he was pissed.

As he turned around to leave his quarters, he found Bankotsu standing smugly in his doorway. He sighed internally, refusing to show any sort of emotion other than blatant disinterest toward the conniving little twat. Bullies live for the reaction; Bank would get no such thing.

"Yo, _InuYasha_ ," he dragged out. "What are you up to during our free time? Wanna play some Go?"

"Maybe some other time, I'm busy." Bank knew full well that if he weren't able to finish his chores before morning, he would be punished for it, as his tasks dealt with the meals for the next day.

"Oh, come on, just one game?"

"He said he's busy," came Shippo's voice from behind Bankotsu, making him turn to be met with Hachi, Shippo, and Muso. "Hey there, fellas. Game of Go?" he gulped, knowing that he couldn't take them all on - hell, he probably wouldn't be able to even take Inuyasha on by himself if it weren't for the fact that Inuyasha refrained from fighting with other members of his shrine unless it had to do with training or betrayal of the shrine.

"We're all busy. Why don't you go find someone else to _play_ with?" Shippo spat. Bankotsu huffed and turned to leave before Inuyasha called out to him.

"I do hope that you realize how immature this all was on your account and choose to reflect on it during our meditation hour. If you have a bone to pick with me, I ask that you bring it to my face instead of using underhanded methods that put everyone else, including yourself, at a disadvantage." He turned from the snake and passed his friends to exit the building, intending on finishing his chores to find them all having been completed. His brows came together in confusion; he could've sworn he had … his shoulders relaxed and he turned around, sensing them behind him. Shippo stood there, arms crossed with a huge smirk on his face, Hachi next to him who smiled gently. "You really shouldn't have…"

"Yeah, well, that's what you get for having good friends."

"Where'd Muso go?" he asked, his eyes scanning around him slightly.

"He went to play Go with Bankotsu," Shippo smiled gingerly, making Inuyasha allow an amused puff of air to leave his nostrils. Bank actually hated Go and Muso was a master at the game, so it was an ideal punishment for the asswipe - more of a torture, really.

"Thanks," he muttered, not being used to depending on others or having to thank them. He could feel his cheeks warming up as Shippo moved in to tease him, no doubt.

"I'm sorry, what was that? We couldn't hear you."

"Shut up."

"Oh, come on, I really didn't hear it!" Inuyasha pushed him to the side with a sour look in his eyes, his features remaining unaffected. "Ow! Alright, alright, ya sap. You're very welcome. Now, come on, let's go play cards or something. He followed the two to Shippo's room, allowing a brief smile to cross his face while they weren't paying attention to him. They were beginning to grow on him.

* * *

The next morning Inuyasha awoke earlier than most, as per usual, and went about his morning duties. He was merely sweeping the courtyard when he felt a presence behind him. Before he could spin around, a hand swiftly grabbed his upper arm. Inuyasha would've hit him in the face if he hadn't gotten a look at the man.

"Monk Totosai, my apologies," Inuyasha bowed as the elder released his hold on him. "I didn't mean to offend you in any wa-"

"That's quite alright, Inuyasha. I was testing your reflexes, which I must say are very good."

"Thank you, sir."

"But I must ask, what do you think you are doing?" The younger stared blankly at the ground as he bowed, not understanding what the old man was asking.

"I'm sorry, sir?"

"Stand up, boy, this is awkward." Totosai waited for the young monk to stand before continuing. "I asked what it is you think you're doing so early in the morning."

"I … I'm doing my morning chores, sir."

"Yes, but didn't I tell you yesterday to take the day off?"

"You did …"

"So? Why aren't you sleeping?" If he was being honest, it had become a force of habit, but it was also …

"All due respect, sir, but … if I don't do my morning chores, someone else has to attend to them on top of their own. I ... didn't think it was fair." He also may have already finished some of Shippo, Hachi, and Muso's early morning chores for helping him last night.

"I see …" The old man nodded before turning away from him, hands placed across his back as he walked away. Inuyasha watched him blankly as he just left him there in the middle of the courtyard. Old bat must be so old that he forgot that he was in the middle of a conversation. No matter, Inuyasha assumed that he was allowed to carry on with his tasks, as Totosai hadn't ordered him to stop, so he continued sweeping only to carry buckets of water to the kitchen, taking down or hanging up laundry, and the like. Soon came morning breakfast, followed by an hour of meditation, and then classes. Inuyasha carried out his day as usual until Sayo, the monk that taught them literature, stopped him at the door.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm in this class, Sayo-san." The old monk shook his head.

"Not today, you aren't. Monk Totosai made that very clear. You aren't to attend any classes today."

"What? But … I'll fall behind."

"I highly doubt that," Sayo chuckled. "I'm well aware of how far _ahead_ you are on the reading. I wouldn't be surprised if you've memorized all of the mantras for next season's lessons." Inuyasha gulped down the blush that he felt surfacing, willing it to return from whence it came. Sayo was right, though Inuyasha hosted an air of indifference, he held the highest grades in all of his classes, having studied dutifully to stay ahead of everyone else.

"So, … what am I supposed to do if I'm not allowed to attend classes?"

"Go frolic in a field somewhere, get some mud on you, play in the river, whatever you want to do. Just don't injure yourself; tomorrow is a big day for you."

"What if I _want_ to attend classes?"

"You can do anything that doesn't pertain to your usual duties, now get." Sayo shooed him from the room, flicking him on the forehead for good measure. "Enjoy yourself." Inuyasha just stood outside of the door as it was slammed in his face, disbelief staining his features at having been kicked out of class to go, quote: ' _frolic in a field_ ' … He honestly didn't know what to do with himself. Slowly but surely, he made his way back to his room with a frown. He didn't like this, he felt like it was a … _like it was a test_. Shit. What should he do? More chores? Go train? No … and then it hit him like a ton of bricks; he needed to go meditate, to find concentration. That had to be it. All of his teachers had been telling him from the very beginning that he needed to find the link to his reiki through meditation, and though he had attempted to do so during every morning, afternoon, and night meditation time for the past several seasons, he had never been able to do it. Maybe today was a chance to do so.

After having set his things back in his room, Inuyasha spun to exit the sliding door only to quickly bow his head. There Myoga stood, a small smile on his face.

"You've figured it out, I see. Or … part of it, at least."

"I'm supposed to meditate, right?"

"Stand, son," he laid his hand gently on Inuyasha's shoulder, urging him to stand upright once more. "It isn't about meditation. Be honest, it frustrates you, doesn't it? Having to sit there in silence, trying to attempt serenity out of nothing."

"I … I suppose so …"

"Good. It frustrates me, too. There's nothing more irksome than being forced to sit cross-legged for hours a day to focus on nothing. Do you know how hard it is to stand up at my age, especially after having been sitting in that uncomfortable position for an hour straight? I'm surprised I can still walk," he huffed, making Inuyasha hold back a chuckle. "It's that right there, you need to free yourself, son. You hold too much in."

"What do you mean?"

"You think that being a good monk who can use their reiki comes from being extraordinarily serious and boring all of the time? Like the high priest? Let me tell you a secret," Inuyasha leans in so that the short man can whisper in his ear. "That old bat is the worst monk I've ever seen. _He_ can't even use his reiki." Inuyasha's eyes widened in dubiety, Myoga merely nodding.

"How is he the high priest then?"

"He's the oldest!" Myoga barked out, laughing at the incredulous look plastered on the young monk's face.

"Are you serious? That's the only reason?"

"Well, that and the fact that he served directly under the previous high priest. It's somewhat of an appointed position. He is an intelligent fellow, possibly too intelligent for his own good, but he is the most boring and stuck up man I've ever met. I don't want you to be like him." The statement took Inuyasha aback. He hadn't realized that while he was merely trying to keep his anger under control, he was extinguishing all other emotions without meaning to. Thinking back, he noticed that he wasn't allowing himself to laugh or smile; to joke around as he used to with Shippo and the others. It wasn't until he found out that he couldn't use his reiki that he began to put on a placid mask.

"Oh … I hadn't realized …"

"I understand, son. It was a trying time, but today is for you to let loose. I was hoping you would figure it out on your own, but, well … I don't want you to waste the day away. A free day doesn't come too often." And with that, Myoga all but pushed him out of the door and into the open air. "Now go have some fun." He slid the door shut and Inuyasha began to shake where he stood, the adrenaline of having complete freedom over his day finally settling in. A smile lit up his face before he all out ran to the field, using the path they had created to sprint through the tall grass and into the woods. He ran faster and faster until finally, he skidded to a halt mere steps away from a cliff. His chest heaved as he sought to catch his breath. He swallowed and stepped forward, peering over the edge down into the abyss. It was such a long way down, he couldn't even see the bottom. Not knowing what to do at this point, he grabbed a stick and began walking along the cliffside, keeping a safe distance. This was the first time in a long time that he felt any sort of peace as the strong breeze played with his black tresses. He could smell water not far off, so he continued forward, hoping to possibly take a bath in something that wasn't a muggy man-made spring overrun by sweaty men. He reached what he found to be a small waterfall that poured down into a large body of water that continued as a stream, the right side overflowing over the cliff he had followed to get there. He looked around and, seeing no one, stripped his clothing and dove into the clean water, coming up seconds later to be met with a naked woman who seemed to have just come up herself, as her midnight mane was soaked. He knew that she was naked, but her hair had so much body to it, even when sopping wet, that he couldn't see anything. He felt his heart begin to pound as his eyes met hers, his pupils dilated. She was magnificently beautiful, her orbs like blue fire. He almost couldn't breathe when a small smile crossed her face. He pulled his gaze from her swiftly as he registered that he was all but staring at the poor naked woman, muttering a soft, "My apologies." He began to swim back to the edge where he had left his clothes, gallantly deciding to redress himself and head back to the temple, though he preferred to stay right where he was. He didn't want her to see him naked, but if he were to get out of the water, it would be inevitable.

"Where are you going?" she called before he could even begin climbing the rocks. He side-glanced her way, finding that she had re-entered the water and was now swimming toward him. His cheeks burned and the water around him splashed as he scrambled to get out.

"I-I have t-to get back to the shrine." Where did his sense of indifference wander off to? He sounded like some horny teenager, which … he kind of was, but that's beside the point!

"Why? You just got here, didn't you? Why don't you stay and play with me?" Inuyasha steeled his resolve before turning back to her, set on telling her that this was all very inappropriate, but she had gotten a lot closer than he thought she had, her face only a few inches from his shoulder. He jerked back, almost hitting his head on the rock behind him.

"Why are you so close?" he barked at her. "We're both naked!"

"Neither of us can see anything," she giggled. She was right, the water was clear and the sun was out, but the pool was so deep that it made the water dark and the greenery around them aided in the tint of colour, making it difficult to see anything past her neck. Not to mention her hair covered the majority of her. "We can just put our undergarments on if you're that uncomfortable." She leaned in closer, making him press himself back against the slimy moss covered boulder.

"I doubt that any of this is appropriate," he gritted out.

"Oh, come _on_ ," she rolled her eyes as she turned and began to swim away from him. "Don't be so boring." He glared up at the back of her head from his relieved sigh.

"I'm not boring."

"Oh, yeah? Prove it." He thought about it for a moment. Why was this girl so comfortable being butt naked in front of a man?

"How?"

"Come throw me into the water," she dared, smirking over her shoulder at him.

"O-only if we put our undergarments on. I'm not touching you, or going anywhere near you, unclothed as we are."

"Fair," she shrugged. She swam the last bit to the opposing edge where she had been when Inuyasha resurfaced earlier, climbing out to apparently go over and put on her underwear. He quickly averted his gaze and followed her lead, pulling himself out and donning his fundoshi. Once he turned around, he found her sitting with her feet in the water, her privates covered with a beautiful sapphire cloth that brought out her eyes. Her stare was focused on him as she smiled, making him gulp as a heat began to build in his lower abdomen, something he wasn't accustomed to.

"What are you waiting for? Come throw me in the water like you promised, mister boring." His brows furrowed together as he glared at her. "Oooow, scary," she laughed, standing and placing a hand on her hip. "Catch me if you can." She turned and began walking away slowly. He was irked; couldn't help himself from using his monk training to silently make his way around the small pond, jumping over the thin creek and hiding behind trees to get to her without loudly splashing through the water. He didn't know exactly why he was going along with her little game, but he was, and he _was_ going to catch her. He had certainly gotten close enough before having to duck behind a boulder as she turned to see if he had taken the bait. He peered around the other side to find her confused face as she surveyed her surroundings, obviously looking for him. He smirked as she turned fully toward where he had left his clothes, walking back over to the edge of the water.

"Hello? Did you fall off of the cliff over there or some-AH!" Inuyasha had managed to sneak up behind her, pick her up, and toss her into the water without much of a fight. He bent down, resting his arms on his knees as he squatted with a content smirk on his face. She came back up with a gasp, coughing slightly as she palmed her hair from her face. She wasn't looking so smart-lipped now.

"How's that for fun?" he asked, slightly snide. Her eyes were wide as she gawked up at him.

"How the hell did you do that?"

"What do you mean? All I had to do was be quiet." And quiet he had been, undetectable even, and she couldn't understand how she hadn't sensed him coming. Her demon side hadn't even been able to catch a whiff of him, which was very odd. She smiled, amused as he fidgeted under her gaze.

"Join me, won't you?" She reached a hand up and he scoffed, standing before backing up and jumping in. No way was he going to allow her the pleasure of pulling him in and possibly holding his head under. His cannonball splashed every which way, and even though he had done it purposely so that she wouldn't be near enough to dunk his head under the water, she was within arms reach when he resurfaced.

"Woah!" He tried to swim backward to get some distance.

"What?" She smiled mischievously as she continued to follow him, bringing them closer and closer to the waterfall. Once meeting the white water and realizing that there was a space behind it, he ducked under and came up into a shallow cave. "Are you not used to women?" He spun in the water, her face inches from his once again. She was fast and it threw him off guard how forward she was.

"W-w-what? What do you mean?" His mouth was suddenly very dry as he continued to back away from her until his back came in contact with a wall of stone, trapping him as she floated but a foot from him.

"You were fine throwing me into the water, but now it's as if you're scared of my touch." He scowled at her.

"As if," he huffed. He wasn't afraid of nothin'.

"Prove it," she whispered, her face coming precariously close to his, daring him to take action that no monk ever should.

"I-I don't have to prove anything to you. I don't even know you." His hands came up and grabbed her shoulders, shoving her away. "And you," he pointed in her face, her eyes wide as they crossed to focus on his finger. He could almost envision her as a cat curiously looking at a toy placed in front of her. It was … cute. "You should at least _pretend_ to be a respectable young lady. What pure woman throws herself at a man she's only just met, and a monk at that! You should be ashamed." She seemed taken aback, but not hurt, so he began to swim away, fully planning on going to clothe himself and head back to the shrine.

"Isn't it obvious?" He turned as she grabbed his wrist, dragging him back to her in the water against his will. She was stronger than she looked.

"Isn't _what_ obvious?" He sounded annoyed, but it was more of the embarrassment that came with having a half-naked woman attempt to seduce him.

"That I'm trying to _mate_ with you, you half-wit." His head jerked to look at her, disbelief strong in his features. ' _Mate_?' Had she just said that she wanted to _mate_ with him? What an odd girl.

"I'm a monk, first of all, I'm not allowed to partake in sexual activities, and secondly, what do you even mean? Mating is for animals."

"Oh, come on, it's not like you're incapable of ' _partaking in sexual activities'_. You're not a eunuch or anything, you still have _**it**_ , right?" His mouth fell open, left wide as he could not believe the words that had just left her mouth. Was she insane?

"What is wrong with you? Did you hit your head as a child?" He really wanted to know.

"What? No," she answered, looking utterly confused. "Let me make this very clear: I'm in heat; I need to mate with someone stronger than me; I want to mate with you." He began shaking his head, a deep chuckle escaping from his lips.

"You're insane, certifiably insane." He attempted to swim away again only for her grip on his wrist to tighten, making him sigh. "Let go."

"No. Not until you mate with me."

"Why are you being like this?"

"Because if we don't mate, there are going to be even more annoying little demons running around here to try to conquer me. I like you, you're …" she paused, looking him up and down. "Different."

"I could say the same about you." He rolled his eyes. Too bad there were rules about harming females; he really wanted to smack this girl, maybe it'd help her gain some sense back. "Look, I'm not gonna mate with you or whatever."

"Why? Because you're too strong of a demon to mate with me? Am I not strong enough for you?" And it all hit him, it hit him so hard that he was stunned still in his place. Mate. Demons. He gulped. She was a demon and she wanted to mate with him. _Shit!_

"Y-you're a demon?"

"Yeah? What'd you think I was?" He was dead, so dead. He had dreamed of worser fates, but this was just … Wait…

"Wait … hold on just a minute." Inuyasha finally turned to face her fully, putting a hopeful smile on her gorgeous face. "I hope you don't try to eat me or anything after this," he muttered, mostly to himself. "I'm a human … why do you want to mate with _me_?" She stared at him blankly before bursting into a fit of laughter.

"You're kidding, right?" she giggled. As soon as she saw the seriousness cast over her face, her giddiness began to dissipate. "Oh, shit, you're not kidding. You don't know?"

"Know what?"

"That you're a demon, too."

* * *

 **:D**

 **What was your favourite line in the story so far?**

 **A chapter for a few thoughts? Yeee~**

 **Hope you Enjoyed! Don't forget to check out my other stories!**

 **Much Love~!**

 **K.T.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Bruh, I completely forgot about this story, if I'm being honest. I'm rereading through it and will probably have another chapter to post soon enough. I actually really like this one. :) So sorry for the wait!**

 **As always, please point out any spelling/grammatical errors you may find. I love to hear your thoughts and theories on where this one's gonna go!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter Three**

"Excuse me? Who is?"

"You are."

"I am? Me? I'm a demon?"

"Yes."

"... certifiably insane," he began to laugh, hard, like he had never before, leaving her standing there as she crossed her arms over her chest. She rolled her eyes.

"Are you done yet? 'Cause I kinda want to get on with this whole mating thing and have you fuck my brains out."

"Wow," he stared at her. "You really have no tact, do you? You're wrong, though, I'm a priest, not a demon."

"I thought you said you were a monk?"

"Well, … priest in training."

"Yeah, okay. How long have you been 'in training'?"

"None of your business."

"Just answer the question, asshole."

"Language," he grimaced, pointing his single finger at her once more. He caught the gulp go down her throat as she stared at it, stepping back a bit. He sighed as he put his hand back down to his side. "I've been at it since I was about four years old."

"Mhm, so tell me, are you able to use your reiki?"

"Uh, … not- not quite yet," he admitted, feeling a blow to his pride.

"Okay, and do you ever wonder why that is?"

"All of the fucking time."

"Language," she teased, his glare wiping the smug smirk off of her face quickly. "Well, uh, it's because you can't; you're a yokai. The kind of reiki that you are trying to summon is used to protect humans from demons and such, so as one, you can't use it. Your reiki is demonic, so you would probably end up just killing yourself." What she was saying made sense, except that he _wasn't a demon._

"I think I'd know if I were a demon."

"You'd think, but apparently you don't, … but I can prove it to you. How about it? If I can help you bring out the beast, you have to mate with me. Deal?"

"Pshhh," he chuckled. "Sure, why not?" She reached out a hand, one he thought he just had to shake, but as soon as he allowed her to grab ahold of it, fangs grew from her mouth and she _fucking bit him_. "OW! Fuck that hurt. What the hell's wrong with you?"

"You have to bite me back." She was still holding his hand firmly, her other hand wrapped over his so that he couldn't pull away. "Otherwise the deal will be broken."

"Fine, fine." He leaned forward, the shyness from earlier crawling up from his chest to paint his neck and cheeks a light pink.

"Make sure to break the skin or it doesn't count."

"What the hell is with all of these rules," he mumbled quizzically before his mouth lapped over her wrist. He rolled his eyes before biting down, feeling her tense and begin to shake, and as he attempted to pull back, he found that his mouth was stuck in place, his canines having elongated into her appendage. His eyes widened as he stood and stared down as her blood dripped into the water below.

"It - ow - it'll take some maneuvering - mmm, that hurts - but you have to take them out before they'll revert back to your human teeth." She was in pain, he was hurting her, but he was in so much shock that he could barely breathe. "Please, try to get them out, they'rehurtingme!" She was beginning to tear up, he could smell the salt from her … _he could smell the salt from her fucking tears, holy fuck!_ HE WAS A FUCKING DEMON!

"Sorry, I just ... I didn't know how to …"

"It's fine," she assured. "It's already healing, anyway. I'm sorry to have forced you into it so quickly."

"Yeah, I mean … I don't know. This is all happening so out of the blue."

"I know, … I'm sorry." Inuyasha looked over and found ears - cat ears - on the top of her head, well, plastered to the top of her head, like she had done something horribly wrong.

"It's okay, I guess it's better that I know," he chuckled, placing his left hand on her back in an attempt to comfort her. "What's your name?" Her ears lifted immediately, her head turning to him; her gaze burning through him with something keen to adoration.

"Kagome. You?" He retracted his hand, as she had begun to lean back into. He brought it up to his mouth in a fist as he cleared his throat before he let it fall back to steady himself on the rock that they were sitting upon.

"Inuyasha... What?" She had an unimpressed expression cast over her face.

"Your name is _Inu_ Yasha and you had absolutely no clue that you were part demon? Really?"

"I was left in a basket at the shrine with a note saying that that was my name. Sue me." He shrugged as he pushed himself off into the water, allowing his head to dip slightly below the surface before coming back up. Everything was beginning to really fall into place. Him being a demon explained _a lot_ , especially that raccoon incident. It made him shudder just thinking about it.

Inuyasha was pulled from his thoughts as he felt arms sneak around his abdomen and soft flesh pressed against his back. He froze.

"W-what are you doing?"

"We're going to mate now, aren't we? We had a deal."

"What?!" He lifted his left arm and spun in her loose embrace to look down at her. "Now? Like, _right_ now?"

"No, next month," she deadpanned. "Yes, right now." Looking down at her from this angle, her cleavage was on full display, tainting the flesh of his cheeks as they began to burn.

"I-I-I-I-I n-ever said when!" He pushed her away once more, frantically splashing away from her. He had indeed made such a promise, but that was when he was confident that he wasn't a demon! He didn't think that he would actually have to … - he gulped - _fuck her brains out_.

"What? But-!"

"No! Not until I have control of, of _this_!" He gestured to himself.

"But I'm in heat _now_. I can't stand it much longer, Inuyasha."

"H-how much longer will you be in heat for?" Maybe he could get out of this? If he could convince her to wait a week or so, he could run away! It could work, especially if he was going to go on the mission; he'd be gone and he highly doubted that she would follow him to another kingdom for the sole purpose of mating with a demon that only _just_ found out that he was one.

"... A month," she huffed. "But, … I've already been in heat for a while and I'm getting kinda …"

"Kinda what?" He shouldn't have asked.

"Horny." He _really_ shouldn't have asked.

"O-oh." His face was beet red as she stared at the side of his face. He didn't grow up around girls, so he wasn't sure how to handle them very well, especially a straight forward _something_ demon that wanted to mate with him. Inuyasha turned to her with a look of curiosity. "Hey, what kind of demon are you, anyway?"

"Wanna see?" she asked, a sly smirk crossing her face. He really should just stop asking any sort of questions, particularly ones having to do with her in any physical manner. He should stick to questions that had to do with how he was going to control himself and how he could activate his demon stuff.

"Uhhh, I'll pass." An adorable pout took over her face, her lips puckered as she glared at him slightly. "Can you tell what kind of demon I am?"

"Sorta, mostly based off of your name, but …" she sniffed at him. "You don't really have a scent or anything. I thought it was extremely odd at first when I couldn't sense you coming to throw me into the water, but it kinda makes sense, seeing as you've been hiding it your whole life. Not to mention you're pretty purified having been living in a shrine for so long ... I bet if you were to mate with me I could tell you," she hummed seductively.

"No."

"You promised! I thought monks were men of their word."

"Look, I apparently don't even know my own body and I'm already in my seventeenth year, or maybe I'm not! Who knows! I obviously don't know anything about myself! So, please, _please_ , allow me the time to get used to this at least a little bit before I have to _mate_ with you, okay?" He let out a huge puff of air in frustration, his head falling back as his body came up to float in the water. She sighed and turned to wade back over to sit on the rocks again, giving up on her conquest for the time being.

"Fine, but I can't wait more than a week; there are already demons that have tried to mate with me on their own accord. Me being in heat puts me at risk until I mate with someone. I chose you out of hundreds of _suitors_." She spat the word like it was of the devil - she would know - and her face turned sour at the mention.

"You said they keep coming around, I assume that means your home is near here."

"Not near. Here," her head gestured toward what looked like a nest of blankets and clothes up on a dryer area of the rocks that lay beneath the falls. This was her den, then. "Black panthers are hard to mate with, so _everybody_ wants a piece of _this_."

"You're a black panther?" His head shot up out of the water to look at her. Inuyasha wouldn't say it aloud but he thought that that was so cool! "Can you, like, shapeshift?" The smirk on her face told him that she most definitely could.

"Yeah, but … I can't until I mate with someone …" Her smirk became a grimace and she sent him a firm glare.

"Wow, so much focused on the whole mating thing. Well, what about me? Can I use any of my demon abilities for my priest training?"

"Possibly," she shrugged. "You might even be able to use your demonic reiki in place of the normal. It'd be a hell of a lot more powerful, I'll tell you that much."

"Wait, like how priests form a bond with their bow and arrows and send their reiki in the weapon?"

"Yeah, I've seen it done a few times, but it isn't for the faint of heart. It will drain you, but it'll be hella powerful, ya'd probably explode the target," she mused. "Anyway, how long do you plan on making me wait? You realize that I could jump your bones and have my way with you right here and now, right?" Inuyasha glanced over at her before snorting.

"For some reason, I have a feeling that that's as empty as a threat can possibly be. You said that you wanted to mate with a demon stronger than yourself, didn't you?" There was that glare again. "And seeing as you want to mate with me, I'm guessing that I'm more powerful a demon than you are and that you can sense it. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure you would've jumped me already."

"Fine," she sighed. "Can you at least do me a _favour_?"

"And what's that?" He didn't like the feeling that went through him as she slid back down into the pool. "Kagome?" She looked at him seriously before pushing all of her hair to one side, leaving her left shoulder and neck bare.

"Leave your mark on me so that others won't bother me as much?"

"Mark? What mark?"

"The mating mark. It happens when you mate, usually, but if circumstances won't allow for the mind-blowing sex that comes with the whole ritual, then the male can leave the signature bite mark on his intended to show … ownership. Think of it kind of like how humans give presents to their fiance."

"Woah, what? Fiance? Is mating like getting married for demons? I thought it was just a sexual thing."

"If it were _just_ a sexual thing, do you think I would have waited an entire _month_ for the right male to come along? The answer is no, I wouldn't have. I would've just fucked the first male of strength that came along and been done with it."

"Watch your mouth," he warned, giving her a look that had those ears of hers laying flat again.

"Sorry … can you … can you just bite me, please?"

"Look … I don't even know you. If this bite is like proposing to you then I don't think that I can do it."

"But you already promised to mate with me! That's what mating is! It's like getting married only …"

"Only what?"

"N-nothing."

"Kagome, what were you about to say?" He grabbed her arm before she could get away from him. "If you want me to mate with you, you can't keep things from me. Spill."

"It's kinda a lot … worse."

"What? Worse than getting married? How?"

"You can't really be separated for too long without it taking a toll on you physically, but that's only before you complete the mating process. It's the engagement that will be difficult when we're apart. That's why I want to just get it over with now, but if you insist on waiting, I at least want the bite."

"Today was supposed to be a stress-free day," he sighed. "Fine, what do I do?"

"Really? You'll do it?"

"Just the bite for now. A promise is a promise."

"Okay," she smiled up at him, excitement swirling in her glorious gaze of azul. "You have to bite on either side of the vein that's in the side of my neck. Right here," she pointed.

"What if … what if my fangs come out as far as they did last time? Will it," he gulped. "Kill you?"

"I don't think they will if we do this right, not that you will …"

"Excuse me?"

"Well," she began, nibbling at her bottom lip. "It would probably be safer if we made out a little, that way your demon is really aware of what's going on. You have to at least have a physical attraction to me for your teeth not to rip through my throat." _Physical attraction wasn't going to be an issue_.

"Make out?" Was it getting hot in here? "You mean like kissing a-and stuff?"

"Yes," she rolled her eyes. "Like kissing and _stuff_." She threw him a smirk. "Or you could just bite me and kill me doing it, your choice."

* * *

"Inuyasha! Where are you going?! You still need to bite me!" Inuyasha had tucked his sad little tail between his legs and opted out of the whole 'kissing and _stuff_ ' thing, his conscience too strong for him to waver over the possibility of indulging in his brief fantasies of combing his fingers through her hair or … gripping her hips as she ground up against him, among other things. He didn't even know where such explicit make-believe had come from! He was a monk; a priest in training. It wasn't until he met _her_ that he suddenly began entertaining such unwholesome thoughts! He had come to the conclusion that she was to blame for his impure notions. So, he had quickly slipped away from her while her back had been turned, put his clothes on in a rush, and made a break for it. Needless to say, she caught on quickly and was right behind him, looking like she was about to rip out _his_ throat.

"I can't. I can't do it."

"You promised!" she screeched, making him halt momentarily before continuing on his way. "You're not a monk or a priest or whatever! You're just a liar! A filthy, good for nothing, idiotic, self-satisfying liar!" And that was the last straw. He snapped, spinning around for her face to crash into his chest. Thankfully, it seemed to swallow up whatever other crude remarks she had had to say about him. It wasn't about what she had said, it was that she was right. He had made a promise and he was running away from it. Why? Because he was scared - scared of ruining everything he had ever worked for. He wanted to be a priest, strived for it, and yet here he was with a demon _temptress_ in the middle of the woods about to _mark_ her because _he was a fucking demon, too._ He didn't like it, but he couldn't change it. The only thing he could do was hold his head up high and keep his promises like a man; he was a man of his word, dammit, and no matter how horrified he was of enticing escapades of the sexual nature, he would fulfill his promise.

He steeled himself as he pushed her up against a nearby tree with a strength he didn't know he possessed. He could feel his fangs begin to sprout as he got closer to her throat and, testing their length by dragging them against her shoulder, confidentiality bit down just as she had shown him to earlier. The sound that was pulled from her was a mixture of pleasure and pain and he bit down just a bit more for good measure before removing his canines from her jugular. She didn't fall to the ground in a heap, she wouldn't let herself, but her legs looked like they were ready to give out at any given moment. He stood back as he watched her mark beginning to sear. Her chest was heaving as she endured the pain, her knuckles turning white as she clenched them so tight that her palms began to bleed. She finally allowed herself to fall as the bite had stopped burning, her skin covered in a sheen of sweat, but she felt herself being lifted; her blurry vision telling her that Inuyasha was carrying her back to the waterfall. Her head rested against his chest and she found herself dozing off in his hold.

* * *

When she woke back up, she was in her den, the moon illuminating the cascade so that she wasn't left in complete darkness. Her eyes darted around, the subject of her search nowhere in sight - the little snake. She went to stand, but twitched at the pain in her neck. Bringing her hand up to lightly trace the branding mark, her eyes widened in astonishment.

"That … that can't be right," she mumbled, scrambling up to go look at the reflection in the water to no avail. It was too dark for her to see it properly, but … Kagome's heart began to race at the thought; if he were who she thought he was … she shook her head. He couldn't be.

* * *

 **T-t-t-that's all for now, folks!**

 **Hope to hear your thoughts on this!**

 **Much Love~!**

 **k.t.**


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